The Agency
The Agency is a fictional antagonistic organization in Metal Shadow Prelude. It is a defense contractor in the islands of Ende previously under the direction of Niccoli Evomnestra; it has been dismantled since the infiltration of its headquarters by the fake Vantrekke Yuba. It secretly operated as an experiment on human aptitude for magic at Dr. Dragon's bidding. History Before Prelude Five months prior to the Agency's founding (and four years prior to the start of the Prelude), the original Liberation Front fell after an epic attempt to dethrone Noa Rylie from the Great Pyramid Vault. Niccoli, then a member of the Front, immediately switched sides in the conflict. To prove his loyalty to Noa and her husband Dr. Dragon, he hunted down all the former members of the Liberation and captured them, turning them into Agents later on. Dr. Dragon instated Niccoli as director as a reward, and thus the Agency was born. For three and a half years, the Agency acted as an extension of Noa's rule; they policed Ende, liberated the civilized areas from beastie, and provided armed services to the highest bidder. Over time the Agency began taking on more and more secretive missions, eventually falling out of the public eye. All the while, they recruited new members and converted a pool of sleeping subjects into Agents. All of this was part of the Adrenal Project: an experiment designed by Dr. Dragon to test human beings' aptitude for magic. ''Prelude'' The Agency was dispatched to recover Noa when she fled Dr. Dragon's clutches. After recruiting Vantrekke Yuba, Elf Squad converged on Noa in Wilde Passage. Rail Platoon then disabled Van as part of a covert attempt to capture Van; Niccoli had his own vendetta which required Van and Noa's latent powers to succeed. The attempt failed and Van and Noa escaped the Agency's grasp. Seven units lost their jewels on this mission: Agent Elf, Agent Ghost, Agent Ziare, Agent Lair, Agent Rail, Agent Ex, and Agent Delta. This eventually led to all seven and Noa being co-opted by Van and aiding him on an infiltration into the Agency headquarters. When Van found out he was a fake, he attacked Niccoli. Niccoli then set the base for self-destruction and fled. The fate of the Agency following this incident is not detailed in the Prelude. Mission Statement The Agency's primary mission is stated in its founding doctrines as the "eradication of hostile life-forms from civil vicinities and the liberation of Ende from both internal and external dire" and "general militarized defense contracting". In short, its purpose is to eradicate beastie and keep the peace. Despite its brevity of age and unique execution methods, it has an outstanding 97% success rate out of 639 missions and a 100% win rate out of 4 engagements with other organizations. However, in secret, the Agency is an experiment for human aptitude for magic under Dr. Dragon's direct control. Every Agent is in fact a subject in the experiment and every mission is a test. Some Agents are fully aware of this fact, but none have openly objected. Authority Since Ende is largely without law or regulation, the Agency acts as the main police force for most districts, including and especially Purgia. There was some objection to this entitlement from the Clandestined of the South, but since the fall of Moon City the Agency has gone unobstructed in their activities. The Clandestined of Purgia have no quarrel with the Agency, though a few offspring groups have engaged it on occasion. The reason for this can be traced to Dr. Dragon's secret endorsement of the unit and Noa Rylie's public appearances alongside them. Organization and Personnel The Agency operates from a secret base located to the northwest of Purgia. Units are almost perpetually on patrol throughout Ende, and receive their missions either by direct order from the director (often by phone) or through one of his messengers. Agents act autonomously for the vast majority of their time on duty. When not on missions or patrol duty, Agents are free to do as they please. Most ensconce with the poor and needy of Purgia's Outcity and engage in (notoriously generous) civil activities. Agents sometimes assign themselves to one of two types of teams: squads and platoons. Squads are four-member units, platoons are twelve. The leader of a platoon must always be certified by the director, but squads may be formed and led by anyone. Some missions mandate the forming of a squad and still others dictate with whom. Agents are given codenames upon their indoctrination. The newest six units always recieve a name starting with P, U, R, G, I, and A, then, when a newer unit arrives to replace them, the six are given a name starting with one of the remaining twenty letters of the alphabet, in sequence. This organization of codenames originally allowed Agents to assess one another's experience level by name alone. Early-letter Agents are considered "the Elite" and are usually given command of a makeshift squad. New-letter units must wear a unique Agency-issued diamond jewel on their foreheads to certify their indoctrination. This practice has been suspended as of generation 7, the latest. The staff currently numbers at 151 units active and 12 units deceased. There are 6 platoons and 16 squads. 9 units are Freelancers. List of Top 10 Agents Key: Yr = Years active Ms = Number of missions attempted Trivia *The Agency is inspired by the Turks from Final Fantasy VII and The Organization from Claymore. Category:Organizations and big groups